Under The Lights
by MusicRocks807
Summary: Robin doesn't go to nightclubs much - in fact, he only came because she was there. After all, they really need to... talk. Yeah, talking. That's all they're going to do. (RobinxTerra, ish)


For obvious reasons, Robin had never really been a big nightclub person. His only real interest in the nightlife of Jump City was protecting it from people who considered it an easy target for crime. The actual drinking, and partying, and dancing? Not really his thing. Other than a few nights out with Kid Flash and Speedy (out of costume, of course), he hadn't done a great deal of it. Although, some of that was just his company; after all, Beast Boy was green, Starfire liked to fly, and Raven hated people. They kind of caught people's eye. Only Cyborg could really get away with it, if he wore a hoodie or one of his disguising rings. A lot of effort for not much payoff, when they could all just have a drink together in the Tower, if they wanted.

So this was actually quite an occasion. He would have chosen different circumstances if he could, but oh well. At least it looked half-decent. Dressed in civilian clothing (dark jeans, a blue button-down shirt, Converse shoes and black sunglasses), he pulled the cloaked T-Car into a parking space and shut off the engine. Thanks to Cyborg's incredible tech, it looked like an ordinary black car, with tinted windows at the back for privacy – he had to admit, it seemed a little dodgy. This whole thing was a little dodgy. But he got out anyway, fixed a lock of hair that hadn't been gelled properly into place, and walked in.

All of the lighting was blue, he noticed. There were white strobe lights somewhere, flashing inconsistently, but everything else had a blue hue. Even the crowd of people on the dance floor looked blue, though he couldn't make out much as they wove and danced together. For a moment, Robin worried he wouldn't find what he came here for, that the whole night would be a waste, but then he saw her; a small blonde girl, with large eyes and a beaming smile. She was stood with people he didn't recognise – a redhead, two dark-haired girls and a guy – and she had a cup in one hand. As she laughed into it, eyes brighter than he'd ever seen, his heart skipped a beat.

He had to be careful, though. Wait for the right moment. After all, he didn't want to scare her off. So he simply lingered for a while, chatting to a few cute girls, taking one for a whirl on the dancefloor to get him closer, then lounging against a wall with his own drink, keeping a watchful eye on the blonde. She spotted him of course, but remained mostly calm; she did steer her friends away though, linking arms purposefully with the guy. That wouldn't work. He was fully aware they weren't a couple, the Titans had been surveying her for months.

So Robin sauntered over, trying to look like he was only Richard Grayson, Bruce Wayne's adopted son, the rich playboy who wasn't totally up his own butt. The redhead saw him first – her eyes widened and she almost dropped her drink, before she pulled the other girls close and began whispering to them.

"Hey," he greeted them casually, his voice as smooth as butter. This voice had been perfected over years of maintaining this act; she could tell it was fake, but her friends were fully convinced.

"Hey!" gasped the redhead, gripping another girl's hand. "Are you Richard Grayson?"

"Wow, five seconds, impressive." Robin put on a dazzling smile. "Thought I would've been harder to recognise with these lights."

The blonde was speaking now, stepping forward. Trying to warn him off. "Oh, don't worry about that. You're _very_ easy to recognise."

"So are you." That floored her. While she was fumbling for something to say, he elaborated, "Aren't you the girl that served me coffee yesterday? At the diner?"

She'd been working at the little 50s-style diner for about three months now. Cyborg reckoned it was just because they were renowned for their apple pie; apparently, that was always her favourite. He hadn't ever gone into the diner, but she wouldn't pick him up on it. If she did, she would need to think of another reason he recognised her, and in her flustered state, there was no way she'd be able to.

"Uhm…" She bit her lip. "Oh, yeah, I think so. Didn't like to say anything at the time though, didn't want to be too personal _and_ _weird_."

He chuckled. "Well, would it be too personal and weird for me to ask your name?"

She probably would have said yes, withheld the information (as if he didn't already know it), but her redheaded friend leapt back into the conversation. "Don't mind her, she's shy. Her name's Ashley."

Ashley was shooting her friend a death glare, but her gaze hurriedly snapped back to him when he set a hand on her shoulder. "Nice name," he told her meaningfully.

"Thanks," she replied tentatively. She wasn't shoving his hand away, which was a good sign.

He soon removed it himself though, to extend it again. "Do you mind lending me a dance, Ashley?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a little forward of you?"

"Maybe." Robin grinned. "But I get the feeling you're not going to say no."

Ashely sighed wearily, but took his hand regardless. Her hand was little and bony, but still warm. He gave it a gentle squeeze, and she smiled nervously. "I get the feeling 'no' isn't really an option."

He drew her closer, grabbing her other hand with his free one. "It could be, but I'd rather it wasn't."

One of her friends – the guy – was beginning to protest, but one of the dark-haired girls shushed him. As they watched in disbelief, Robin led Ashley out into the middle of the dancefloor, where they would easily blur in with the rest of the crowd. He began to sway her, moving to the beat, but she wasn't buying it.

"What do you want?" she asked bluntly.

He offered her another smirk. "A dance. That's what I asked for, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

She was cut off as he spun her around, almost lifting her off the ground. A squeal burst from her lips and they both laughed. He rocked his hips up against hers, closing the distance between them again. Her breath ghosted over his lips. Her eyes were wide and uncertain, but her hands had planted themselves upon his shoulders. His own gravitated to her waist, feeling the shape of her ribs beneath the sparkly red dress she wore.

Tugging gently at the fabric, he mused, "So red's still a favourite of yours?"

"Always has been." She shrugged. "Do you still cover your eyes all the time?"

"Always have done."

She giggled, and he felt a wave of affection crash over him. It was so good to see her happy. He dragged her back into motion, making her twirl and jump and slide to the rhythm. Ashley seemed shocked that he knew how to dance, but he was astonished at how well she was keeping up. Even if all of her dance moves could have been right from Beast Boy's repertoire. Once she began to get into it, her dancing got even cheesier, somehow making his elegant moves look goofy too.

Then a sexier song came on, and the mood completely changed. No longer was she simply dancing _near_ him, now she seemed to be dancing _upon_ him. Brushing against his chest, grinding against him, her hair swishing in his face. Her movements became less jerky, and she was no longer doubling over in laughter every ten seconds. Now, her eyes looked hooded and her lips were pouting, and there was something awfully like revenge in her face.

Fine. Two could play at this game. Grasping her by the hips, Robin pulled her right up against him, flattening her to his chest. One hand moved to the small of her back, while the other rose steadily to between her shoulder blades, the area left exposed by her dress. Her skin was pale, her bones sharp, and her expression shocked. He tilted her head up and met her eyes.

"I missed you," he confessed.

She hesitated, before murmuring, "I missed you too."

He almost didn't hear her over the music, but he was close enough now to see the movements of her lips. Close enough to bring her lips to his own. They were soft, if a little chapped, and they moved against his with ease. Her blue eyes were still open, trying to work out what was happening, but they slid shut as he ran a hand through her hair. It was the same length as it had been when they first met.

Her own hands came up to his hair, but retracted once they felt the thick hair gel coating it. Instead they slid down to his shoulders again, then down to his chest, feeling the muscles beneath his thin shirt. That was too much distance, though, so he hoisted her up into his arms. Her legs locked around his waist out of instinct, and her hands cupped his face as she kissed him deeper. Ashley must have been questioning it, but she didn't voice this aloud, so he didn't explain himself yet.

They weren't that far from the entrance. With her still in his arms, Robin made his way over, to a chorus of wolf-whistles and congratulations from the drunken lads around him. She must have realised what he was doing; he felt her scowl before he parted her lips again. He broke the kiss as he pushed her up against the side of his car, trying to open the door. She laughed at him, and as he turned his head to frown at her, a large figure in a grey hoodie caught his eye. He winced – couldn't Cyborg look the other way or something? Thankfully, his friend did so as soon as he returned to kissing, this time guiding the girl into the back of the car. He sat her down on the blue leather seats (now that they were inside, there was no hiding it was the T-Car). Kicking the door shut behind him, he began to pull off his shirt. She eyed him up and down, not bothering to hide it, but still seemed confused.

"Is that necessary?" she questioned.

Rubbing his shoulder, Robin sighed. "Not necessary, but I think it's only fair."

"What do you-"

He ignored her, kissing her again. As their tongues danced, his fingers reached the zipper at the back of her dress. As it slid down, he pulled the straps off her shoulders, slipping the dress down to her waist. Her red bra matched the dress, he noticed, as well as the blush rapidly blooming across her cheeks. At least she wasn't likely to flee now.

While his eyes were zeroed in on her chest, he wasn't focused on what one would expect. The silky skin between her breasts was marred by white lines, forming something that looked awfully like an 'S'. His jaw clenched; it really was her. He'd already been sure, and Cyborg had been certain, but there was still something within him that had refused to believe it. Now, he had no choice.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Ashley murmured. It wasn't sultry, though. This was cold, confrontational.

He sighed. "Yeah. Sorry, I just wasn't-"

"Whatever." Not even attempting to fix her dress, she sprawled herself out on the seats, her arms folded across her stomach. "So, what do you actually want?"

"We wanted to be your friends again," Robin began, but she just laughed.

"Nope. Try again."

"It's true!" he insisted testily, but he did continue, "But it's not all I'm here for. We wanted to let you know that the Tower is always open for you, now that we know for sure we can trust you – we've been watching a while – and that… Well, you should be careful."

She sighed. "He's back, isn't he."

It wasn't a question. Robin sighed too, sliding off of her to sit in the footwell, the edge of the seat pressing into his bare back. "Yeah, we think so."

For a second, he thought she was going to cry. Or scream. Or something. But instead, she rolled over onto her side and just looked at him, her face collapsing in hopelessness, and suddenly she looked more like Terra than she had all night. He reached up and combed his hand through her hair again, trying to reassure her. She snatched his hand and held it in both of hers.

"Do you think he's going to come after me?" she whispered.

He longed to say no, but nobody knew if that was true. So he raised his other hand to cover hers, twisting to meet her eyes, and promised, "If he does, we'll protect you."

Terra didn't look certain. Taking care not to hurt her, Robin dragged her down off the seats and into his arms, tucking her head under his chin. She allowed herself to relax and indulge herself the same way he did, cuddling as close as she could. It felt strange to have her skin pressed up against his – not bad, but strange. Once the shock began to wear off, she seemed to realise this too; blushing again, she tried to scramble up. Robin obliged, unwinding his arms and letting her clamber back onto the seats. The closeness had been nice but they both knew it wasn't permanent. Besides, the team would murder him.

There was already a good chance they would murder him anyway, when they found out about this little excursion. At least Cyborg was as much of a culprit as he was, so he wouldn't die alone. As he pulled his shirt back on, to the sound of Terra fixing her dress, he decided he needed some kind of cover story – Beast Boy really would kill him for this, he was certain. If he didn't keel over from embarrassment first.

"Damn it…" Terra muttered behind him. He turned to see her fumbling with her dress, trying to zip the back up. Going pink again, she smiled sheepishly at him. "Uh, could you maybe…?"

"I got it," he laughed.

He zipped it up and she thanked him, but he didn't take his hand from her shoulders. Before she could question him, he pulled her into another hug, pecking her on the cheek as he did so. Terra giggled again, and he kissed her for real.

"Aren't you and Starfire a thing?" she mumbled against his lips.

Robin leaned back the tiniest amount, just enough to speak. "She kisses other guys all the time on missions. This is a mission."

"You're a jerk," Terra informed him, but she still kissed him again. When he gave her a questioning look, she replied, "Mission isn't over yet."

He smirked. "No, it isn't."

They weren't sure how long they stayed hidden in the T-Car, letting themselves have the moment they didn't realise they wanted, but eventually they broke apart. Terra's hair was messy, and her lips were swollen. Robin almost felt bad. Starfire would understand – they'd already discussed an open relationship and were currently trialling it – but Beast Boy wouldn't. Would Raven? He hadn't really considered how she would feel.

"This was a one-off thing, right?" she asked tentatively.

Robin nodded. "Yeah. It wouldn't be right."

"Okay, good." Terra sighed in relief. "It was nice, but…"

"I know," he assured her, patting her shoulder. "Thanks." Before he could think better of it, he blurted out, "We really would like to be your friends again. The Titans, I mean."

Her brow creased with thought. "I don't know. Maybe? This is a lot."

"Well just think about it, okay?"

She nodded cautiously. "Okay."

He granted her a moment to fix her hair while he adjusted his own, then took her hand. This girl could leap across spinning rocks above the Tower and land flawlessly; she didn't need him to help her out of the car, but he did it anyway. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, before she hugged him goodbye. He hugged her back, planting one last kiss to the crown of her head.

As they broke away, she bit her lip. "I should probably get back to the group…"

"Yeah." Robin chuckled. "That redhead might've passed out from the anticipation."

Terra laughed with him. "She's not usually that annoying, I swear, she's usually way cooler. She doesn't see celebrities much."

"I'll take your word for it." He went to ruffle her hair, then remembered that would just make things look worse. Instead, he gripped her shoulder. "Stay safe."

She punched him in the arm. "You too."

"You know where we are if you need us."

"I know. See you."

Terra gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then scurried back into the nightclub, casting him a final glance and a wave over her shoulder. He waved back, watching until he was sure she was safely inside. Her friends were going to be asking tons of questions, though. A smirk bloomed at the thought.

It was rapidly squashed, however, when Cyborg's voice rang out behind him. "Rob, I love ya man, and you did a great job, but those seats _better_ be clean."

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, obviously. Also, I get the feeling this is going to be one of those stories I like at the time, then think is super-weird in like a year. Oh well. At least I got to trial writing RobinxTerra, kinda.**


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